"The man who cannot believe his senses, and the man who cannot believe anything else, are both insane" - G K CHESTERTON

Informed reports, reviews and commentary on happenings and discoveries in the
world of crop circles,
provided by the Southern Circular Research
organisation.

READING,
VIDEOS AND BEYOND

A Guide for the
Armchair Cerealogist

There are many sources of crop circle information, and this appendix gives some useful pointers as to where to find out more about the phenomenon. In particular, over the years there have been a significant number of books, some general, others covering specific aspects. Many of them are now rather dated, given the phenomenon's continual leaps in development, but still remain valuable reading as records of specific periods, pools of raw data or speculative material. Those wishing to plunge deeper into unravelling the mystery may wish to seek out some of the English language tomes listed below in alphabetical order of authors' or editors' names (there are a number of good overseas volumes in various languages not included here). Most are now out of print, but can often be picked up from specialist dealers, collector's fairs and circle conferences. The era covered by the books sometimes goes up to the year of publication date , but more often to the year before.

This list has been freely
adapted from the book Vital Signs by Andy Thomas (S B
Publications 1998 & 2002) and updated with new entries accordingly.

Books (listed
in alphabetical order of authors)

Crop Circle
Year Book seriesby Steve Alexander
& Karen Douglas, Temporary Temple Press 1999 onwards,
28ppIt's amazing that no-one had thought of a crop circle annual before 1999, but the concept was worth the wait. Each edition, though short, is large format and very colourful, being a compact guide to the cerealogical season of its year, with Steve Alexander's renowned photographs and partner Karen Douglas's thoughtful text and captions. Karen was the first to describe crop circles as "temporary temples for the modern age", a now oft-quoted phrase. Focused largely on the Wiltshire area, with a smattering of Hampshire thrown in, each book neatly negates the need to buy those stacks of individual circle postcards every summer, packing all the best images of the most important formations into one source. The photographic quality (taken on detail-capturing large-format negatives) and attention to print reproduction is second to none.

Crop Circles: Exploring the Designs & Mysteries by Werner Anderhub & Hans Peter Roth, Lark Books, 2002, 144pp192ppThis English translation of a German language book first published in 2000 is a useful addition to any croppie's library, with circular history, theories and the various attempts at interpreting the symbols explored. Werner Anderhub has been one of the most active European researchers, and an extensive gallery of colour and black and white images, largely from his own portfolio, makes the book an attractive package.

Crop Circles -
Harbingers of World Changeedited by Alick Bartholomew, Gateway 1991, 192pp192ppEssentially a
sequel to The Crop Circle Enigma (qv), this was the first book to concentrate more on the message of the circles rather than the mechanism, updating events to 1991, a year excellently illustrated with colour photographs. Like its predecessor, several leading enthusiasts of the time contribute their own personal perspective, this time reaching much deeper into speculation and soul-searching. A bit New Agey for some, to own Enigma without also having this is nevertheless unthinkable. Sadly, it did rather less well than it might have, having the ill-fortune to be published around the same time the Doug and Dave hoax scam broke.

Crop Circles,
Gods and Their Secretsby Robert J Boerman,
The Ptah Foundation 2000, 162ppA dense, mystical book which asserts that a cabbalistic code runs through several crop formations, tying the phenomenon in with the work of Zecharia Sitchin and his belief that the lost planet 'Nibiru' (and its inhabitants) is about to return from a large elliptical orbit back into our region of space. A bit esoteric for some tastes, and with some curious English here and there (the author is Dutch), the book nevertheless makes some fascinating claims which, if true, demand further investigation, such as Boerman's belief that many crop glyphs embody the mathematics of the Equinoxal Precession cycle. Illustrated with a few black and white photos and several diagrams, this is a worthwhile read for the more advanced croppie student.

Crop Circle
Wisdomby Denni Clarke,
SpiritPassage 2001, 107ppDenni has long been a familiar figure in the Wiltshire fields each summer, and this attractively packaged book, subtitled Simple Teachings from the Circlemakers, draws together her spiritual musings on how the crop formations inspire people, and what we have learnt through them. Each colour photo of a particular crop pattern faces a page of suitable meditative text on internal issues of the sort the phenomenon seems to stir up. Not for those of the hardened scientific approach, admittedly, but others of a more soulful bent will find the book much to their liking.

The
Circlemakersby Andrew Collins,
ABC Books 1992, 351ppThe garishly dramatic cover suggests a science fiction novel, but the reality is a sober and somewhat undervalued application of Wilhelm Reich's orgone energy theories to the circle phenomenon. Using his explorations with a group of psychics in the 1991 crop circles as a starting point, Collins was one of the first researchers to really explore the connection between human consciousness and the behaviour of formations and UFOs, coming to conclusions considered heretical in the nuts-and-bolts ufology world. Mainly text with a few black and white photos, this can be heavy going (pagewise, the longest circle book ever written), but it did provide a different angle on cerealogical studies for its time and, if the hypothesis is valid, has consequences for other paranormal phenomena.

Crop Circle
Secretsedited by Donald L
Cyr, Stonehenge Viewpoint 1991, 80ppSeveral highly technical dissertations from six writers, based around the 'whistler' hypothesis, lightning-induced pulses the authors believe to be responsible for the crop circles, although at this point only the early pictograms had appeared. Unusually, for such a scientific view, the theory takes into account ley-lines, earth energies and the connection with ancient sites. Lots of diagrams, but only a few black and white photographs. Followed by a near-identical sequel America’s First Crop Circle -Crop Circle Secrets II.

Ciphers in the
Cropsedited by Beth
Davis, Gateway 1992, 88ppA series of
essays by different contributors which could almost have been
included in Harbingers of World Change (qv), looking at
the significance, evidential and symbolic, of just three
important formations from 1991, Barbury Castle, the Mandelbrot
and the Froxfield 'serpent' or 'brain'. Eight pages of colour
photos help make this a valuable tribute to what were then the
most spectacular designs to have appeared, the book all the
stronger for keeping to a narrow agenda.

Circular
Evidenceby Pat Delgado &
Colin Andrews, Bloomsbury 1989, 190ppThe book that
launched the phenomenon into the public eye, documenting the
authors' discoveries in the circles of the pre-pictogram 80's,
complete with compelling anecdotes of associated strange
happenings. Viciously attacked as paranormal claptrap by some
who were seeking scientifically credible solutions to the
mystery, this is nevertheless what caught people's
imaginations and inspired the creation of circle research
groups around the world. In retrospect, its speculation is
actually remarkably restrained, but brief talk of UFOs drops
tiny hints at the investigative paths the authors would soon
take, well-balanced with straight observational data and
copious colour photos. An essential guide to simpler times,
written long before Andrews became increasingly sceptical.

Crop Circles:
The Latest Evidenceby Pat Delgado &
Colin Andrews, Bloomsbury 1990, 80ppBy now the
media circus was in full swing and the front cover reflects
this with its telling blurb "Could it be
aliens?" next to an array of the elaborate pictograms
which shocked the world in 1990. Little more than a diary of
the latest events, as the title suggests, it documents the new
developments which had dated the authors’ previous tome
almost overnight and was clearly a necessary publication; as
such the book delivers although its limelight was rather
eclipsed by the launch of The Crop Circle Enigma (qv)
the same year. Attractive photos and economic text make this
an undemanding but useful read.

Conclusive
Evidence?by Pat Delgado,
Bloomsbury 1992, 159ppThis was
published in the immediate wake of the Doug and Dave hoax
shenanigans, and it shows - the question mark which renders
the title meaningless is telling. Not a bad book, Delgado's
musings are, however, rather more lightweight and
non-committal than before as if anxious to avoid controversy,
although he does briefly put the record straight on misquotes
and disinformation at the height of the pensioners' scam.
Essentially a well-illustrated colour record of the 1991
season, the author (now solo) also includes some overseas
formations and a few miscellaneous anecdotes and observations.
Delgado retired from active research soon after.

Crop Circles:
An Introduction (Crop Circles of Wessex)by Kent Goodman,
Wessex Books 1996/2000, 30ppFormerly
published in 1996 as Crop Circles of Wessex, this
updated and much improved edition is a brief souvenir guide
seemingly aimed at the Wiltshire tourist market where it has
reportedly done well. Attractively packaged with colour and
black and white photographs, diagrams and maps, it adequately
performs its function as an introduction to the phenomenon for
the absolute beginner. Reg Presley and Pat Delgado contribute
endorsements.

Corn
Circles/Crop Circlesby Michael Glickman,
Wooden Books 1996/2000, 51pp/58ppOne in a series
of little books by different authors examining sacred art in
the English landscape in a pleasingly plain, simple format.
Crop circles, or corn circles as the original title
insists, are prime examples of modern sacred art and the
author, a trained architect, exalts the poetic and geometric
virtues of the designs. There is an almost exclusive focus on
the development of the patterns themselves and the
phenomenon's other aspects aren't on the agenda. This works as
a strength rather than a weakness, allowing the sheer genius
of the anonymous draughtsmanship to speak for itself in simple
silhouette drawings. Substantially updated in 2000 and
re-issued under its new title of Crop Circles.

Messages From SpaceBy Jay Goldner, 2002, 136ppColourful and graphically exciting book which proposes that the 'face' and 'code'-type crop formations found in recent years are evidence of communication from extra-terrestrial beings based on the moons of Jupiter. Whether the final conclusions are agreed with or not, the work on show is certainly thorough, and the book is worth owning simply for the detailed examination of the formations in question, with full colour throughout making the best of the many bright, bold diagrams.

The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circlesby Dr Eltjo Haselhoff, Frog Ltd. 2001, 157ppSubtitled Scientific Research & Urban Legends, the author uses his scientific background and credentials (as one of only two people to have had a contribution on crop circles published in a peer-review science journal) to produce a highly credible case for a mysterious cause behind the phenomenon by balancing impressive biological analysis with the other more 'paranormal' aspects of the mystery without compromising either; deeper speculation isn't shied away from. However, the science side of cerealogy has been woefully underrepresented in print, and this very readable book goes a long way to providing an excellent encapsulation of the more important discoveries made by plant sample examination and other lines of diagnostic investigation. Colour photos and attractively presented diagrams throughout help keep things accessible at all times.

The
Cosmic Connectionby Michael Hesemann,
Gateway 1996, 168ppThis assertive
tome, translated from German, makes no bones about its
intentions, which is to convince the reader that crop
formations are made by ETs, half its pages devoted to the
circles and the remainder to UFO-related material. As such, it
makes its case efficiently and enthusiastically, but doesn't
address some unanswered questions thrown up by the hypothesis.
An excellent and detailed round up of modern circular history
to 1994 (despite clear evidence to the contrary, Hesemann
doesn't believe in pre-war circle reports, though), attractive
colour photos and a good thrashing to total sceptics more than
justify its acquisition.

Mysterious
Lights and Crop Circlesby Linda Moulton
Howe, Paper Chase Press 2000, 342ppEssentially
written as a journalistic travelogue, this book is a valuable
document of, and investigation into, the many luminosities,
balls of light and other aerial phenomena seen in and around
crop circles. The large number of testimonies from different
people Linda interviews in her travels through Wiltshire
attests to the reality of this aspect of the circle mystery,
and long-talked about incidents, photos and videos are
properly recorded in one printed source at last. A colour
section augments the many black and white photographs
included, and most will be in no doubt by the end of the book
that something very odd indeed is going on in the fields.

1991
- Scientific Evidence for the Crop Circle Phenomenonby Montague Keen,
Elvery Dowers Publications/CCCS 1992, 47ppA brief booklet
produced for CCCS outlining the tentative inroads made by the
title date in discovering a scientific 'litmus test' for crop
circles. Dudley and Chorost's uncertain search for radioactive
particles and Dr Levengood's early work on biological changes
in circle-affected stems is outlined in layman's terms as far
as possible in a simple format illustrated by a few murky
black and white photos and diagrams. A useful examination of
the physical evidence found in formations thus far, it
inevitably frustrates due to its inconclusive nature, which
the author, then CCCS 'scientific officer', openly
acknowledges here. (Keen would later grow more cautious and
challenge Levengood's initial methodology.)

Crop Circle
Apocalypseby John Macnish,
Circlevision 1993, 249ppThe subtitle
'Crop Circles Case Closed' tells you everything you need to
know about this volume which promotes hoaxing as the answer to
the mystery, with particular emphasis on Doug and Dave. Having
made one of the best videos on the phenomenon, Crop Circle
Communiqué, it's still astonishing that its creator
should have gone on to produce this very one-sided and
subjective critique, plagued with typos and sparingly
illustrated with black and white photos.

Crop Circles: A
Beginners Guideby Hugh Manistre,
Hodder & Stoughton 1999, 91ppIt might be
fairer not to comment too much on this book, suffice to say
that if a beginner started with this, their interest would
probably end here too. One in a series of little guidebooks to
various metaphysical subjects, the overly-sceptical and
under-informed tone of an extended essay seemingly based on
very limited source material from around 1991 (despite its
more recent publication date) is of little help to either
novice or seasoned croppie. For such a visual phenomenon, some
nice photographs to go with the diagrams there are in a tome
which purports to be a guidebook would have helped enormously.
Instead, incredibly, there are none at all.

Crop Circle
Geometryby John Martineau,
Wooden Books 1992, varied pagesThere have been
several editions and updates of this seminal work (originally
titled The Sophistication of Agriglyph Geometry) in
different formats so page counts may differ. Martineau was one
of the first to recognise the sublime geometrical qualities
and explicit mathematics in the early pictograms, and his
findings are presented in clear, precise silhouette diagrams
traversed by lines showing the inherent construction
alignments and proportional harmonies. Even allowing for
possible margins of error in the original survey measurements,
the ingenious accuracy and breathtaking verve of the designs
is indisputable, illustrated attractively with some
comparative astronomical and archaeological data thrown in for
good measure. His work on crop circles would later inspire the
author to investigate the entire geometry of the solar system
in A Book of Coincidence (qv), the full impact of which
deserves wider attention.

The Circles
Effect and its Mysteriesby George Terence
Meaden, Artetech 1989, 116ppThe first major
outing for the plasma vortex theory is in marked contrast to
the dramatic, populist style of Circular Evidence (qv)
which just pipped this to the post as the first ever crop
circle book. Scornful of unscientific paranormal posturings,
the tone is calm and regimented in a clear and largely
successful desire to present itself as a serious hypothesis,
published just before the pictograms set the cat among the
pigeons. This book's greatest asset is the data, reports and
valuable observations recorded within it, but underestimation
of the circles' visual attraction has resulted in only
scatterings of black and white photographs. For all the
theory's difficulties in dealing with the later formations,
much of the work is still valid and Meaden should stand
congratulated as the first person to attempt a straight
scientific investigation of the phenomenon; this book is
testament to that effort.

Circles from
the Skyedited by George
Terence Meaden, Souvenir 1991, 208ppUnattractive
presentation (again only a few black and white photos) hides a
collection of sometimes dry but fascinating essays on
meteorological explanations for the phenomenon compiled from
reports by members of weather-investigation groups CERES and
TORRO and mostly based around the plasma vortex. The last
outing for the hypothesis before the patterns appearing could
no longer be simply explained by it in its basic form, this
dated very quickly but contains some highly valuable
information, including eye-witness accounts and the full text
of the 'Mowing Devil' pamphlet from 1678. The more recent
findings of Dr Levengood call for a reappraisal of some of the
observations included here.

Dowsing the
Crop Circlesedited by John
Michell, Gothic Image 1991, 48ppA slim but
pleasing volume which collects together some of the best
dowsing-related articles from the first few issues of The
Cerealogist journal, nicely presented with attractive
diagrams and a few black and white photographs. Anyone with an
interest in this aspect of investigation should start here
(although some dowsing sceptics have cited the differing
techniques and findings outlined as being fruitlessly
contrary).

The Face & the Messageby John Michell, Gothic Image 2002, 36ppAn attractive little booklet printed in pleasant pale green print, which examines the construction and implications of the 'face' and 'code' messages which appeared at Chilbolton in 2001. Though sensibly refusing to draw any final conclusions, this highly respected author and philosopher succinctly draws the reader's attention to the most pertinent points raised by the appearance of these glyphs, and discusses them with wisdom and reason.

Crop Circles Revealedby Judith Moore and Barbara Lamb, Light Technology Publishing 2001, 265ppAn open celebration of the metaphysical view of crop circles, channelled and intuitive interpretations of pictogram symbols balanced with many pages of straight information, general discussion of the phenomenon and a celebration of the culture of enthusiasts who surround it. Given the size of the book, number of pages and density of print, this is possibly the longest crop circle book yet published, a great slab of a tome to keep dippers happy for many hours. An opening colour gallery gives way to black and white photos thereon. In its mission to take into account all the differing belief systems, there may be just a little too much generosity shown towards hoaxers for some tastes, and the dense ruminations may be daunting for casual readers, but as reference material for dedicated cerealogists, particularly those drawn to more psychic leanings, it is indispensable.

Crop Circlesby Carolyn North,
Ronin Publishing 2001, 91ppUnambitious
postcard-sized book which acts as a pleasantly simple
all-round guide in a compact size and gives the novice reader
enough of an idea of the phenomenon to see that something
amazing is going on. As such, it achieves its well-intentioned
aim, let down only by a large number of upside-down photos and
rather iffy reproduction.

The Crop Circle
Enigmaedited by Ralph
Noyes, Gateway 1990, 192ppStill one of
the very best circle books despite being inevitably dated by
subsequent events, this is a collection of sober, thoughtful
pieces by the cream of researchers at the time (minus Delgado
and Andrews) when they were all still talking to each other.
Each contributor examines a different aspect of the mystery,
recording its history, proposing mechanisms and speculating on
potential sources. Excellently illustrated by a comprehensive
colour roundup of circles from recent years, photographic
emphasis is on the 1990 pictograms which had just shocked the
world. Thought-provoking, yet level-headed, this presented a
very credible case for a phenomenon worthy of serious
investigation, cruelly dashed in the public eye just a year
later by events which were to blight the success of its more
ambitious sequel Harbingers of World Change (qv).

Crop Circle
Classificationby Pat Palgrave-Moore,
Elvery Dowers 1991, 47ppA brave but
ultimately futile technical booklet which attempted to pin
down all the component shapes making up the early pictograms
so that crop designs could be concisely documented and
described with code numbers. A dumbbell, for instance, is
classified as a '1B1', while a more elaborate one might be an
'NaBg 50A'. Had the phenomenon ceased developing this might
have worked, but its evolution already challenges the book's
usefulness by the end, with complex formations like Barbury
Castle ’91 forcing the system to be ditched and simply being
labelled No.132. Though, perhaps unsurprisingly, the idea
didn't catch on, this little book is worth owning for the most
comprehensive record of crop symbols (in silhouette drawings)
published to that date.

Crop Circles:
The Greatest Mystery of Modern Timesby Lucy Pringle,
Thorsons 1999, 144pThe culmination of years of personal research, on the surface this is an all-round guide to the phenomenon, but puts particular emphasis on physiological and psychological effects on people entering crop formations, and other strange anomalies, as extracted from circulated survey forms or one-to-one interviews. Well-illustrated, mainly with Lucy's own photographs (the later edition corrects some upside-down entries in the original), this is a valuable record of a sometimes neglected area of cerealogical investigation, documented by a well-known figure of the crop circle world.

Crop Circles: A
Mystery Solvedby Jenny Randles
& Paul Fuller, Robert Hale 1990, 250ppIf you can bite
your tongue at the rather over-confident title, there is a lot
of useful information, reports and valid observations in this,
yet another, promotion of the plasma vortex hypothesis.
Randles has written a plethora of UFO-related books over the
years, but seems to imply here that a large amount of
sightings are due to meteorological atmospheric phenomena.
When the pictograms started to appear, she and Fuller would go
on to be openly sceptical about the complex formations, but
even here there is already a fair amount of hoax speculation
alongside the vortex theorising. Illustrated with a short
section of unspectacular black and white photos and a few
diagrams.

The Giftby Doug Ruby, Blue
Note Books 1995, 174ppAn American
publication which proposes the idea that the early pictogram
shapes are two-dimensional diagrams of three-dimensional
devices which, when built, will give us the 'gift' of
anti-gravity propulsion as supposedly used in ET craft. Ruby
actually constructs and spins scale models to make his point,
illustrated here with colour and black and white photos. The
results are undeniably fascinating although some may draw
their own conclusions about what it all means. The steps that
lead to each experiment are sensibly described with a
pervading sense of boyish wonder from the author. That Ruby is
clearly a newcomer to the phenomenon (he had never set foot in
a formation at the time of writing and there are one or two
factual errors) shows clearly, but enhances, rather than
detracts from, the pleasant innocence of the book. Well
presented, but no circle photos, only diagrams.

Round in
Circlesby Jim Schnabel,
Penguin 1993, 295ppThe book that
sent the cerealogical world into a tizzy for five minutes
until everyone realised it was quite funny really, forgot it
and carried on. With the exception, that is, of a few who will
smart forever, and with good reason. Schnabel, a one-time
alleged 'hoaxer', tells the story of crop circle research from
the inside, all names named and sacred cows slain, illustrated
with a few black and white photos. The phenomenon itself is a
secondary target to the foreground tales of bickering, egotism
and self-delusion which have plagued the 'community' from the
beginning. Everything is exaggerated for effect, of course,
but at times it's a justified critique. Its mischief is to be
found in what the book doesn't tell you. Presented
resolutely from the author's one-sided viewpoint, its factual
reliability is challenged, but no-one bothered with any
subsequent litigation. Scepticism toward the circles is well
to the fore, but largely by implication; little actual
evidence is shown for mass-hoaxing. If this were badly written
it might be offensive. That it's competent, entertaining and
amusing is only spoiled by the fact that it's at other
people's expense.

Secrets in the Fieldsby Freddy Silva, Hampton Roads 2002, 334pp Subtitled The Science and Mysticism of Crop Circles, this is a weighty tome which explores the phenomenon in intense detail, with particular emphasis on the geometrical and spiritual implications behind the circles. Black and white, with a colour section, the book is packed with diagrams and photos, and covers a broad spectrum of concepts. The author's self-confidence with certain proclamations may over-reach itself at times, but there's no denying the dedication behind the book.

Crop Circles of
1991by Busty Taylor,
Beckhampton Books 1992, 48ppBusty Taylor
was one of the first to pioneer the art of overhead circle
photography, either by flying or precariously raising his
camera on a 30' pole to look down on formations. This small
full colour-booklet simply documents the season of the title
with full-page photographs and brief captions, showing some of
the many diverse designs from the air or the ground. A good
souvenir of the year that produced the Barbury Castle
triangle, the 'whales' and the insectograms.

Fields of
Mysteryby Andy Thomas, S B
Publications 1996, 100ppThis still stands as the most thorough documentation of crop circle activity in one area of the world yet published, collecting together many of the findings of SCR. Two major, yet relatively unsung, sites for the crop circle phenomenon are the counties of East and West Sussex on the south-east coast of England, which have seen several decades of glyphs. This book gives the full story of the crop patterns of Sussex and a potted history of the mystery world-wide, with many collected true tales and insights, illustrated with full colour/black and white photographs and diagrams..

A real-life account of SCR's four-year voyage of discovery in a quest to video a crop circle being formed by non-human forces, a mission not fulfilled, but circumvented by other extraordinary happenings. Co-written with psychic Paul Bura, it recounts a saga of remarkable encounters with the circles, Sussex sacred sites, interactions with aerial phenomena, psychic entities and cosmic 'coincidences', climaxing with the extraordinary experiment in which a crop formation was seemingly created with the power of thought. To learn of both the pitfalls and the successes encountered, any group wanting to attempt similar communication experiments might like to read this first! Thought-provoking, dramatic, humorous and heart-warming in its honesty, Quest For Contact is fully illustrated with many photographs taken during SCR's exploits.

Vital Signs: A
Complete Guide to the Crop Circle Mystery and Why it is NOT a
Hoaxby Andy Thomas, S B Publications (Frog Ltd in USA) 1998, revised 2002, 192ppDescribed by many as the definitive guide to the crop circle mystery - written by Swirled News editor Andy Thomas. Visit the Vital Signs website for more information...

The Answerby Margot Williams
& Carolyn Morgan, Grosvenor Press 1991, 48ppThe story of
the authors' attempts to interpret the 1990 Alton Barnes
pictogram, and other formations at their home on the Isle of
Wight, using psychic channelling. Their experiences in the
formations are recounted in a series of heartfelt vignettes,
together with accounts of claimed brushes with ETs. Not
illustrated.

The Secret
History of Crop Circlesby Terry Wilson,
CCCS 1998, 155ppA long-overdue
documentation of the many pre-1980 crop circle reports, dating
back perhaps as far as 1590. This is a truly important, if
modestly presented, book which has filled a major hole in the
research data, clearly demonstrating an enduring and genuine
phenomenon which has been developing for many years. Its style
is succinct and level-headed. Diagrams and a few black and
white photographs which accompany some of the reports are
included, and a potted recent history updates events to 1997.
An essential read for research completists and a nudge in the
ribs for doubters.

Other Books of
Interest

Besides a few very small-scale productions not mentioned here (photocopied manuscripts, etc.) there are also many books which feature crop circles as part of a wider agenda. Two Thirds (David P Myers & David S Percy, Aulis Publishers 1993, revised 1999, 811pp - !!!) is a cryptic and controversial novelised history of the galaxy as celestial soap opera, apparently based on channellings. An explanation for crop circles is given in this context and they feature prominently in the illustrated appendix. The circles also feature in another Percy co-authored book, Dark Moon (David S Percy & Mary Bennett, Aulis Publishers 1999), which robustly asserts that NASA faked the evidence for its moon missions. Likewise, formations appear in a similar context in Richard Hoagland's book The Monuments of Mars (Frog Ltd. 1987, revised several times since), which famously explores the evidence for an artificially constructed 'face' and 'city' on the red planet.
Many channelled works have referred to the circles, in particular The Only Planet of Choice (Phyllis Schlemmer/Palden Jenkins, Gateway 1993, 398pp, revised by Mary Bennett 1994). Alien Energy (Andrew Collins, ABC Books 1994, 248pp - only published in a very limited print run), although more sceptical towards the phenomenon, follows up some of the ideas of The Circlemakers and describes orgone and psychic experiments in the Alton Barnes area, amongst other projects. The Goddess of the Stones and The Stonehenge Solution (George Terence Meaden, Souvenir Press 1991, 228pp / Souvenir Press 1992, 224pp), though primarily concerned with Neolithic monuments, propose the hypothesis that plasma vortex-created crop circles inspired their construction.
Lots of other tomes include crop circles for all sorts of reasons and purposes. Ones to avoid, though, are cheap chain-store compendiums about UFOs and the paranormal (you know the sort), usually thrown together by people with only a very basic, and flawed, knowledge of crop circles. However, beware even some glossier encyclopaedias of the unexplained, which, whilst quite willing to accept the dodgiest of UFO photos, often seem entirely unable to be open-minded about the circles, quoting sceptical received wisdoms and the usual hoax myths as fact.

Videos

There have been all sorts of circular videos produced over the years, some professionally, others by well-intentioned amateurs who issue their best shots of the year on video. A few stand out, however, though many are inevitably very dated now:

John Macnish's Crop
Circle Communiqué (1991) is still one of the best
all-round looks at the phenomenon, spoilt only by the
knowledge that its sequel Revelations (and the
accompanying book Crop Circle Apocalypse) turned to
totally one-sided scepticism.

Undeniable Evidence
(1990) is essentially a pleasant conversation with researcher
Colin Andrews (before he himself turned more sceptical) with
accompanying circles footage.

Michael
Hesemann's long The Mystery of the Crop Circles (1990)
contains interviews with many early researchers together with
much film of the first pictograms and as such is a valuable
snapshot of the pre-Doug and Dave days.

Phenomenon
(1992) is a very effective wordless meditation by Grant
Wakefield, with time-lapse photography, still shots and 8mm
film of the circles in black and white and colour, set against
atmospheric music, letting the visuals speak for themselves.
Wakefield takes quite a different approach in his 1998 film Croppies,
an irreverent if humorously revealing sceptical blast at the
research community, believers and hoax claimants interviewed
in 'talking head' mode.

Andy Thomas’s
Circular Sussex (1995) is an atmospheric record of his
home county's formations and the work of the SCR surveying
team over two seasons.

A very good
overall look at the phenomenon is Bert Janssen and Janet
Ossebaard's Crop Circles: What on Earth is Going On? (1996)
and its sequel Crop Circles - The Research (1999),
which together make an excellent assessment of the mystery,
the possible theories and the research efforts, with good
circle footage. The former includes the highly controversial
Oliver's Castle sequence purporting to show a formation
appearing.A third entry, Contact (2001), documents many of the aerial phenomena videos taken in and around circles over the years, and is a valuable compendium of some extraordinary sequences. Their other available title, The Silbury Hole Enigma (2001), doesn't cover crop circles, but documents the events surrounding the appearance of the hole in the top of the monument in 2000.

Crop Circle Update (1999),
by Chris Everard, is a perhaps overlong, but comprehensive
series of interviews with various circle researchers and
contains a detailed analysis of the Oliver’s Castle video.

Frank Laumen’s
Crop Circle Connections (2000) is an impressionistic,
surreal trip through several seasons of excellent circle and
general sacred landscape footage set to music.

Peter Sorensen
also has a large back catalogue of videos (the Humanity’s
Wake-Up Call series) documenting each season in turn from
the past six or seven years in his very own personal
travelogue style.

Michael Glickman has a series of videos available under the umbrella title The Crop Circle Lectures, recording some of his more prominent presentations over the years (some with the help of colleague Patricia Murray), with a particular emphasis on geometry and form, and a liberal dose of sceptic-bashing.

Many more circle videos and even cinema documentaries were being put together in the run-up to the release of the movie Signs in 2002. There have also been a number of TV documentaries of varying quality and integrity which pop up mostly on cable and satellite stations from time to time. A few are good, but most are hack journalism which simply scratch the surface of something that takes longer than a couple of days to research and half an hour of air time to fairly assess. Beware; with one or two notable exceptions, outright scepticism is often well to the fore or the conclusions are simplistic to say the least.

Merchandise

There are people who find the idea of crop circle 'product' distasteful, a cheap cash-in on something of huge potential importance, but, like it or not, recent years have seen a boom in crop circle merchandise of all kinds. Each must decide for themselves on the integrity of what's at hand or avert their eyes when it comes their way. One of the better developments is the availability of good colour postcards and posters of new formations, which go a long way to spreading the news of an astonishing phenomenon further out to the world by the visual message alone. Circle calendars are also an expanding business Ð at least three alternatives are usually produced for each season. Several small businesses now produce T-shirts and sweatshirts of circle designs from all seasons in all colours, some simply assorted silhouette shapes against a plain background, others interpretations of specific glyphs in swirling psychedelic hues. Other wares are more to individual tastes, but if you want crop circle mugs, pencils, greetings cards, tarot packs, jewellery, 3-D sculpture and beyond, it all seems to be out there. These can usually be picked up at circle conferences or through adverts in journals. Otherwise, visitors to Wiltshire would be well-advised to make their way to The Henge Shop in Avebury which usually carries an assorted selection of the latest products, or go one county along to Glastonbury in Somerset, where various retailers sometimes stock circular goods, particularly the shop Growing Needs..

Conferences

Each year a number of crop circle events are held by various organisations, increasingly across the globe, but especially in the provinces of England. Specific events are nationally advertised in appropriate places (crop circle websites and journals obviously, but also UFO and New Age magazines, etc.) and are often well worth attending. Most conferences feature speakers from the world of cerealogy and associated interests, and they provide a good opportunity to tap into where things are at in the fields and gauge the mindset of those monitoring them. In years past, these could sometimes be rather stuffy, highbrow events, but recently a slant towards more entertaining (but equally informative) gatherings has developed, catering for all approaches to the phenomenon. (Beware though, debunking psuedo-cerealogists at more UFO-orientated events, for whom the circles are a secondary interest, presentations largely based on fourth-hand information.)

The Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group has its annual Crop Circle Weekend at Devizes usually in July/August; researcher David Kingston usually holds a one day event at Dorchester in April which covers crop circles, and the crew behind the Crop Circle Connector website usually hold an evening event in the summer. Independent events are sometimes set up by organisations or individuals at random. In the USA there are currently two annual conferences, Signs of Destiny in Arizona, and Sacred Britain's event in Vermont.

The longest-running (held since 1990) gathering is the annual Glastonbury Symposium: Investigating Crop Circles and Signs of our Times, usually held in late July or early August at the Town Hall in the heart of this mystic capital. Attenders from around the world regularly flock to this three-day weekend to hear speakers of the highest calibre discussing not just crop circles, but many other related subjects. The atmosphere of the event spills out into the cafes, pubs and sacred landscape of Glastonbury as people relax in-between. Bias aside (Andy Thomas is one of the organisers), this comes highly recommended by many people. Those with Internet access should go to http://www.glastonburysymposium.co.uk for details.

(Watch Swirled
News'events page for forthcoming
dates/reviews of main events.)